The present invention relates to an improvement for a display panel of an electronic timepiece.
Usually, in an electronic timepiece, time information as to hours, minutes, seconds, months, dates, days of the week, before noon or after midday, etc. is displayed through the use of numerals of four digits or six digits and characters or symbols other than numerals. When the time information as to hours, minutes and seconds is desired to be simultaneously displayed, a six-digit numeral display is required because the respective information sections require two-digit numerals.
When the information as to days of the week is desired to be displayed at the same time when the time information as to hours, minutes and seconds is displayed, characters or symbols are required in addition to the six-digit numeral display. One way to display such information is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,889,458 to Toshio Kashio, entitled "ELECTRONIC CLOCK DEVICES," wherein seven symbols are provided for indicating the information as to days of the week in addition to the four-digit numeral display for the hour and minute information.
In the case where a six-digit numeral display is employed, a stop-watch function can be easily achieved by an electronic timepiece, wherein the counted time information as to hours, minutes and seconds, or as to minutes, seconds and tenths of seconds is simultaneously displayed on the six-digit numeral display.
In an above-mentioned electronic timepiece which has a display panel including the six-digit numerals, the seven symbols for displaying the information as to days of the week, and one or more symbols provided between the numerals for displaying the hour information and the minute information in order to distinguish the hour information from the minute information, the information as to months, dates, days of the week, hours, minutes, seconds and before noon or after midday can be easily displayed and, moreover, the stop-watch function can be achieved. More particularly, the information as to hours, minutes, seconds and days of the week is simultaneously displayed, and the information as to months and dates is displayed through the use of any group of the numerals for displaying the hour information, minute information or second information by a suitable switch operation. And the stop-watch function is performed through a switch operation, thereby displaying the counted time information as to hours, minutes and seconds, or as to minutes, seconds and one tenth seconds.
In such an electronic timepiece, a time information correction operation is often erroneously conducted, because the six-digit numerals indicate different information depending on the operation modes of the electronic timepiece. And the operator can not recognize, at a glance, whether the timepiece is placed in the normal time information keeping mode, or the stop-watch function mode.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to improve a display panel of an electronic timepiece.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a display panel for an electronic timepiece which can identify operation modes of the electronic timepiece.
Still another object of the present invention is to indicate the identity of operation modes of the electronic timepiece through the use of seven symbols provided for indicating information as to days of the week.
Other objects and further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
To achieve the above objects, pursuant to an embodiment of the present invention, a mode panel is disposed in with a calendar panel on which information as to days of the week is printed. On the mode panel, labels are fixed at the positions corresponding to the seven symbols for the days of the week information indication in order to indicate a month information correction mode, a date information correction mode, a day of the week information correction mode, an hour information correction mode, a minute information correction mode, and other operation modes such as a stopwatch operation mode.
The symbols are continuously enabled when they indicate the information as to days of the week printed on the calendar panel in the normal time information keeping operation mode, and the symbols are controlled to flicker when they indicate any one of the operation modes described on the mode panel.
The labels fixed to the mode panel can be represented in any language in dependence on the person who wears the electronic timepiece.